Argos' Chad Owens makes CFL history with third straight 3,000-yard season

Argonauts' Chad Owens is stopped by Blue Bombers' Brandon Stewart Alex Suber on Saturday night in Winnipeg. Owens became the first man to amass more than 3,000 all-purpose yards in three consecutive seasons.
(BRIAN DONOGH/WINNIPEG SUN/QMI AGENCY)

Chad Owens has done something no other player in Canadian Football League history has accomplished.

And in becoming the first man to amass more than 3,000 all-purpose yards in three consecutive seasons, Owens, if nothing else, has proven that football is nothing but a team sport.

Consider that the Argonauts didn’t make the playoffs a year ago and won just one post-season game in 2010. At 7-6, and really not doing a ton on offence on Saturday night despite beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 29-10 at Canad Inns Stadium, the Argos are not a lock to do a lot of damage in the playoffs in November.

Coming up short versus the Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions in recent weeks demonstrated that the Argos, whether it’s Ricky Ray or Jarious Jackson under centre, have lots of work to get done if they hope to advance to the Grey Cup at the Rogers Centre.

Owens’ gifts as a football player can’t be argued. Fans get their full money’s worth whenever he is on the field, knowing there is a chance every time he has the ball in his hands that he can score.

Owens has done more than his fair share for the Argos. It’s unfortunate that, to this point, the Argos have been nothing more than mediocre in the standings as Owens has set records.

AT THE HALF

Jackson improved to 15-8 as a starter in the CFL, and 4-1 against Winnipeg. But don’t get too carried away. After the opening 15 minutes, the Argos scored just eight points. Without the Bombers’ propensity for turning over the football — no less than seven times — the final result would have been closer, if not a victory for the home team ... Not sure you’re going to see a more eventful first quarter involving the Argos in the near or distant future. Penalties, an interception, a reversed call on a challenge flag, and the Boatmen had a 21-0 lead after 15 minutes ... One reason why Winnipeg has struggled all season: They have scored 21 points in total in the first quarter ... After they had a 14-0 advantage, the Bombers thought they had a touchdown when Kenny Mainor returned the football to the Toronto end zone after it came out of the hand of Jackson. It appeared clear right away that Jackson had thrown an incomplete pass, and had not fumbled, but the officials didn’t notice that Argos head coach Scott Milanovich threw the challenge flag. He had to throw it again, just as the Bombers lined up to kick a convert, and as the referees approached Milanovich, he could be seen to mouth the words “What happened?” — as in, why did they not notice the first time? The call was reversed, and soon after, Dontrelle Inman had the visitors’ first touchdown ... The challenge flag became Milanovich’s friend again, when he got another call reversed. Slow-motion replays showed the Bombers’ Chris Matthews had not fallen to the turf when the ball popped loose. As such, the Argos were awarded a fumble recovery ... The Argos benefited from a pair of pass interference calls to score a touchdown on their opening drive, including a chintzy call on defensive back Alex Suber, but it was not until Brandon Stewart was flagged for objectionable conduct that the Argos finally were able to score a touchdown on Jackson’s one-yard plunge on third-and-goal. The Argos got a bit lucky on the drive, as Maurice Mann failed to make his block on a Chad Kackert run. In the end, it did not matter, and Toronto recorded a major on its opening drive for the fifth time this season ... The Argos required 15 plays to score, and then on the Bombers’ second play from scrimmage, Marcus Ball picked off Buck Pierce for a 24-yard touchdown ... Andre Durie’s block on a quarterback draw allowed Jackson to rumble for a first down. Durie, thanks to a quad problem, had not played since Labour Day ... Other than driving Pierce into the ground, recovering a couple of fumbles and embedding himself under the skin of the Bombers, Argos linebacker Brandon Isaac had a quiet first half.

EXTRA POINTS

With Ken-Yon Rambo hurt, Mann was solid, collecting about the most hard-fought 47 yards (on six catches) that you will see. It seemed that every time Mann caught the ball, two Bombers were an arm’s length away ... When Swayze Waters nailed a 46-yard field goal to end the first half, it was just the fifth time in 11 attempts he has been good from at least 40 yards out. Waters looked like he wanted to hide after missing an 18-yard chip shot early in the fourth quarter ... Judging by his shaky demeanour on the sideline, Pierce shouldn’t have been back on the field in the first half after he was rocked by Isaac, but he was allowed to return before Joey Elliott took over following halftime. Pierce has been forced to leave 10 of the 26 games he has started for the Bombers. When Elliott came in for good, it meant the Bombers had virtually no chance to mount a comeback ... Few games between the Argos and Bombers at the Rogers Centre elicit much excitement, but that could change when the teams meet in Toronto on Oct. 19. There was enough smashmouth football and bad blood on Saturday night to lead one to believe that the game in 19 days could have more of the same ... Toronto has won its past four games against Winnipeg.